The Call of Serenity
by kmj1989
Summary: It's been five years since Cuba, and Bianca Serena has put it all behind her. She's thrown herself into helping Charles with his school. But when an old face, along with a new one from the future, comes back into her life, she won't be able to ignore those feelings she's so carefully tucked away. Sequel to The Call of the Siren, definitely needed to understand!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Lotta, you know exactly why Nonno wants you to stay here for a few more weeks," I said, exasperation bleeding through my patient façade. Though, since the girl had known me her entire life, she probably knew already just how fed up with her I really was. "The cartel has to be dealt with, and this is the safest place for you right now."

"Why couldn't I have gone to Italy with Zia Giada?" Lotta whined, still refusing to look me in the eye.

"Yes, so you can play with all the boys there," I laughed bitterly. Surely, I had never been that bad as a teenager. Of course, Zio Lorenzo was far more indulgent than Nonno had ever been with me. "No, you're staying here, which means you have to abide by the rules here."

"Bianca, may I see you in my office, please?" Charles's crisp accent floated through my mind. I hardly paused to reply that I would be there in five minutes before turning back to Lotta.

"You cannot play with people's emotions here. It is not right, and it is not fair. If you do it again, you will be expelled. And we both know how Nonno feels about that," I told her.

It might have been a low blow, but guilt flooded her face for a brief second, before she shuttered herself off. "Whatever. Can I go now, Miss Serena?"

Sighing again, I nodded. She was out of the chair before I finished the motion, slamming the door behind her. I let my head drop to my desk in front of me and took a few deep breaths. When that didn't calm me any, I contemplated slamming my head against the desk several times, but as I already had a rather pounding headache, I decided against it. Instead, I went to see what Charles wanted.

Once I knocked and he invited me in, I immediately launched into a complaint as soon as I opened the door. "I'm going to kill her, Charles. She pushes me far more than I can handle. I was never that-"

Charles stopped me with merely a look. "We've got guests, Bianca."

I stepped fully into the room. And nearly walked right back out once I saw who was there. "Hello, Bianca. It's good to see you again."

"What on earth is he doing here, Charles?" I spat, turning my back on the man who had done so to us five years previously.

"Erik needs our help, Bianca," Charles said patiently. "And we've sworn never to turn away any mutant, regardless."

"How about international terrorists?" I scoffed, moving closer to my friend.

"You were right, Magneto, she really doesn't like you," a third man, who I hadn't noticed, was sitting in the corner of Charles's office, looking rather amused.

"Who is he?" I asked, noting the leather jacket and thick scruff. It easily gave him the look that poor Alex had always striven for, and fallen far short of: a bad boy, rebel without a cause. I did have to admit, however, that his was far more attractive than James Dean's. And rather more believable, as well.

"I'm Logan, and I'm from the future."

I couldn't keep my mouth from dropping open. It was clear that the man, regardless of how attractive he was, was mad. Sadly, that seemed the way it went. All the attractive ones had some sort of major flaw.

"He's telling the truth, Bianca." Charles's voice drew my incredulous gaze away from the stranger. "I've seen it. He is from the future."

His absolute certainty wiped out all doubt in my mind, though its absence left me reeling. "How-" I suddenly needed to sit, and was glad to find a chair behind me.

"I'm from 2023," Logan began slowly, obviously picking up on my mental distress. "A mutant I know was able to send my consciousness back here to my past self so that I can warn you all of a terrible danger. Hopefully, we can change the future, keep us all from the disaster that it had become."

It took a bit of mental acrobatics to figure out just what he'd said, but once I had, I asked, "Just what kind of disaster are we looking at?"

"Near mutant extinction, and over half of all humans dead, as well."

His blunt words pulled a startled gasp from us all. But before anyone could say anything else, Logan continued. "Two scientists, Bolivar Trask and William Stryker, who also happens to be a major in the U.S. Army, started working together about two years ago. You might have noticed a few mutants suddenly going missing, with no one able to find them after. It's these two. They take mutants, experiment on them, see what makes them tick. Trask is afraid of mutants, well, they both are, but Stryker is also fascinated with us. Stryker wants to figure out ways to weaponize us, create new combinations of mutations to try to recreate that Super Soldier Serum. Trask wants to find a way to exterminate us all."

My mind whirled at this news, with thoughts of those we'd lost contact with flowing through the muddle. "It almost sounds like these two are working at cross purposes. Won't they somehow... cancel one another out?"

Logan's smile was sad. "It might've, had Trask not been assassinated. Or rather, will be. Mystique's the one to do it, trying to stop his work, but it convinces the government that mutants are a threat, so they make the weapons he's working on, anyway."

"No."

My one word stopped him dead. "What?"

"I am not cleaning up Raven's mess," I stated emphatically. "She's a big girl. She can take care of her own mistakes."

Charles sighed, but his response was cut off by a small snuffle. I saw a small child, bright blue, toddle over to Eri- Magneto and gesture wordlessly to be picked up. "Another of Raven's messes," I scoffed. "You two did get close."

Magneto cuddled the boy closer. Then, the little one looked to me, a grin breaking across his face. "Ama!" he cried, and then suddenly, he was in my lap, cuddling into my neck, his tiny tail wrapping happily around my arm.

Magneto simply raised an eyebrow. "Does that tell you who his father is?"

"Azazel." The answer came from me, but also from Logan.

"Hello, Kurt," he continued, grinning at the little boy. The boy simply waved his tail, not moving the rest of his body from where it rested in my arms. Though I froze, not knowing what I should do with him.

"Kurt?" Charles asked softly, wide eyed. "I have a nephew?"

Magneto looked uncomfortable. "Yes, he's Raven's," he finally said. "And Azazel's. And don't worry, Bianca, Kurt calls every woman Mama. It's nothing personal."

"Why?" It was the first word I had said directly to Magneto, rather reluctantly. Almost as reluctantly as my hands moving to lightly rub down Kurt's back. But I found that once I started, I couldn't stop. The little boy cuddled in further, giggling softly when I brushed across his ticklish ribs.

"Because he saw his mother transform many times," he replied. "Before she left."

"Left for where?" Charles asked, eager for any scrap of information on his sister.

"To kill Trask, I would assume," I guessed bitterly.

"She's not wrong," Logan grunted. "She's in Vietnam, planning on killing Trask."

The telephone rang before anyone could say anything else. Charles gave me a look, as if to remind me to behave, then answered. "Xavier's… Oh, hello, my darling… What? No! Is he… Is Levine sure? Alright, travel safely, and give David my love. Yes, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"What happened, Charles?" I pounced the instant he finished speaking. Levine wouldn't have contacted Moira for something little, therefore, something was terribly wrong.

But Charles didn't answer right away. Instead, he let his head fall into his hands and rubbed at his forehead. Finally, just as I was about to beat it out of him, mindful of the little boy in my arms, he looked up at me. His eyes held more pain than I'd seen since David's birth. "Alex is hurt. And… And Sean…"

"Sean is dead," Logan finished softly.

 **AN: I know, it's a bit mean to leave the first chapter there, but it felt right. I hope you guys like this sequel, and for those of you who haven't read The Call of the Siren, you might want to. This won't make sense without it!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

My world stopped at those three little words. Such short, seemingly insignificant words. My mind instantly tried to reject them, but they stuck, echoing over and over in my mind. Sean, my Sean, couldn't possibly be dead!

"How did you know?" I asked Logan quietly, but my glare warned him against giving me anything less than a full answer.

He sighed, looking away from me before answering. "I was supposed to make it back here in time to save y-… both of them. Charles told me that, and I was supposed to be here in time to stop anything from happening to both of them. But Kitty, the mutant who sent me back, she warned me that the further back I went, the less precise her aim was. The best we could hope for was the summer of '69, and here I am. Clearly too late."

Even for the piercing ache in my chest, I was still mindful of the little boy in my arms. I stood, shoved him at Er-Magneto, and walked toward the door. He gave a squeak of surprise, then cried, "Ama! Va, Ama!"

"Shh, Kurt, Ama needs some time to herself." Magneto assuring the child was the last thing I heard before the door swung shut.

Looking back, I was never able to remember the trip. But I found myself in the music room, locking the door before heading straight to the piano. And then I let everything out. The pain, the anger, the disbelief, the worry, everything I felt came out in my music. The tiniest part of my brain remembered to be grateful that the boys had soundproofed the room, which of course brought back the reminder of what I'd just lost.

I played for more than an hour before I ran out of tears and anger to fuel my music. My hands slipped from the keyboard, and my head took their place. Until a rattle at the door sent me shooting up in my seat.

Magneto walked through the door, closing it behind him. "I thought you would be playing," he said, looking confused.

"I was," I told him, standing up and walking towards the door. "The boys soundproofed it for me years ago. Excuse me."

"Scha-"

I viciously cut him off, glaring with everything in me. "Don't call me that. Don't you dare call me that!"

"Bianca-"

"No, you don't get to come back here and pretend like nothing happened. Like you didn't leave us. You left us, Erik. You left to go on your little revenge crusade, so don't come in and act just the same. Nothing is the same with you. You know, I haven't worn metal in over six years," I told him, daring him to understand my meaning.

His arm dropped from the doorknob as the color faded from his face, and I pushed past him. I made my way to my rooms, where more tears found me, born of heartbreak and anger, anguish and rage.

…

A knock on the door preceded Charles, and I contemplated ignoring it. I knew he would open the door anyway, however, so I simply sighed and invited him in. His cane entered first, then his sad, understanding smile. "I'm not going to talk about it, Charles, so don't ask," I warned him.

"You know me too well, my friend," he said, smiling a bit as he easily maneuvered around the chair and couch to come sit next to me.

I snorted in reply. "After your wife and child, I know you better than anyone else. Now, what is our plan for getting Alex home?"

His smile dimmed. "I'm not entirely sure. Moira's got some contacts still in the CIA, Levine of course, and some others, but I'm not sure how they'll help."

"I can get us into Vietnam," I told him. "I've got a friend who wanted me to do some USO tours. I'll give her a call."

"Won't she be upset when you don't actually do a show?"

I grinned, all teeth. "She's family. She'll help. And if I need to, I can do a show, once we've got Alex."

He nodded once, a bit wary once I'd mentioned, even obliquely, my connection to the family business. But, clearly, his worry for Alex outweighed his distaste for extralegal activities. "Moira will be home in the morning, and then we can fly out as soon as she's here. Can you arrange it by then?"

"I'll give Lucia a call tonight. She's in Los Angeles, so she'll not be home just yet. What'll we do with the children? I know there's only five, well, seven with David and Kurt, but we can't go traipsing through the jungles of Vietnam with them in tow."

That made Charles's lips quirk briefly. "Petra and Suzanne will stay with the children. All of them."

"Have you talked to Hank?" I pushed, knowing he most likely hadn't.

He sighed, proving my suspicions correct. "He's working, Bianca. We can't keep him from that."

"Hank is an adult, Charles. And he deserves to know that his brother is in danger," I argued. "And if you don't tell him, I will."

He sighed again. "He'd probably take it better from you, anyway."

I chuckled darkly. "I've been told I'm a mother duck." The memory didn't bring any joy. "I'll call him. Tell the others to be ready in the morning."

"You just don't want to talk to either of them," he pointed out wryly, but got up, anyway, closing the door behind him.

Moving to the table, I reached for the telephone. The operator connected me with Stark Industries, whose operator then connected me to the lab. And then a familiar voice came across the line. "Hello?"

A tiny, happy warmth settled in my chest, just from hearing from one of my boys. "Hi, Hank. How are you?"

"Bianca! I'm well, how are you? How is everything at the school? Is Charles alright? Did he hurt himself again?"

I had to laugh at his rapid-fire questions, so typical of his genius mind. "Everyone at the school is just fine, dear. And yes, Charles is fine, or at least I think he is. But you know him. He probably wouldn't say anything even if he had hurt himself."

"Good, good," he said distractedly. I could hear him continue to tinker with something in the background, bringing another smile to my face. "So, is something wrong? I mean, you don't usually call outside of your weekly checkups, and we talked two days ago."

"Hank, that was five days ago, and technically last week," I said with a smile.

A pause, then, "Really? Huh, I guess I've just been busy. Mr. Stark really likes my ideas, and we've been working on finetuning the rockets."

That warm feeling spread, pride in my boy's genius. I may not have given birth to him, but I had been more his mother in the past seven years than his own mother had his entire life. "I'm glad you're enjoying your work, but you can't forget to sleep sometime, and eat."

"I know," he said sheepishly.

I smiled again, but it was short-lived. I did have to tell him. "Hank, Moira's heard from Lavine in the CIA."

"What happened?" The warm, slightly absentminded genius was gone, replaced by the man who knew what it was to fight. "Alex or Sean?"

A whimper slipped out without my consent. "Alex has been declared a POW. And Sean…" I didn't want to say it aloud. Saying it meant it was real. But Hank needed to know. "Sean's dead, Hank. He was killed."

"When do we leave?" Never a hesitation, not even a pause to think it through. He simply was ready to go find his brother. And, of course, pushing what he couldn't control aside. I'd taught him well.

"Tomorrow, once Moira gets back."

"I'll be there tonight. Janet's been after me to take a break anyway. It'll just take a few hours to finish up here, and then I'll drive home."

"Will Stark be alright with you leaving?" I didn't want him to lose his job, after all, but I needed him to come. If only to assure myself that one of my boys was safe. Relatively.

"If he doesn't want to lose his best biochemical engineer, he will be," he said firmly. "I'll see you in a few hours, Bianca."

"Hank, wait, there's more," I said quickly, wanting to catch him before he hung up. After his questioning grunt, I continued, with a much more measured pace. "We have… a few… visitors at the school… Magneto's back, and he's brought a few others with him. It's about Raven."

Silence reigned. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he'd hung up. "You can tell me when I get there."

And then he really did hang up, for once letting his utterly polite personality fall to selfishness. And my heart ached for him, for all my boys.

 **AN: Here's chapter two! Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to brigid1318 for your review. And here's some Hank action, just for you, dear!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

I successfully avoided everyone until it was time to call Lucia. She quickly agreed to help, especially after I told her it was to save one of my boys. She assured me that everything would be taken care of by the next evening. We would simply need to stop in Los Angeles to pick up paperwork.

I next had a screaming match with Lotta, letting her understand in no uncertain terms that she was to stay at the school until Nonno sent someone for her. She'd wanted to come with, thinking it would be an adventure, of course, but I wasn't going to put her in danger like that. I finally got through to her that she wasn't going, after I threatened to lock her in her room until we left. Leaving her fuming in her room, I decided to wander the grounds. I desperately didn't want to see anyone else.

Of course, since I wanted to be alone, Fate had other plans. I'd barely had five minutes to myself when the glow of a cigar alerted me to Logan's presence. "Charles kicked you out of the house to smoke?" I asked, slightly amused even for the intrusion.

"Yeah, about fifty years from now," he grunted. "You finally convince Lotta to stay?"

I sighed. "That girl. I hope so, otherwise Nonno is going to be very cross with me. But she's crafty, and stubborn. I'll have to keep an eye on her tomorrow."

"She just wants to be like you," Logan said, surprising me.

I paused, then shook my head. "She hates me," I corrected.

"Nah, she doesn't," he assured. "Remember, I know these things."

Still trying to wrap my head around the concept of time travel, I asked, "So, are you two close in the future?"

He laughed darkly. "Lotta's not terribly close to anyone in the future. Well, my future, anyway. But I have come across her screaming her lungs out, and we've talked a bit. I can understand some of what she's- what she will go through. Though, hopefully, we might be able to change some of that, too."

I stared at him, letting the inklings I'd had since that afternoon come to the forefront of my mind. "I'm dead, aren't I? In your future, I mean."

Logan looked startled, then sighed. "Old Mags always said you were brilliant."

"You almost said all of you, earlier in Charles's office, that you were sent to save 'all of you'," I said. "And if Charles and Magneto are the ones to send you back in time, clearly they survive. Which means I die, in the near future."

"That's not going to happen this time," Magneto said, coming around the corner of the house. His fierce look warmed me slightly, before I could tamp down on the feeling.

"Yes, that's what we're all trying to prevent," I said dryly. Turning back to Logan, I ignored Magneto as much as possible, even for the awareness I owned of his body so close to mine. "Tell me more about Vietnam. What happens to Alex? I need to know to be able to prevent it."

He shrugged his shoulders, regret clinging to his every line. "I don't know. The plan wasn't to send me. It was actually to send Charles, but his mind wouldn't have survived the trip. I was the last-minute replacement, so I don't know everything. And I didn't join the X-Men until- well, for about fifty more years. I don't know all the history."

"The X-Men?" I laughed, but stopped at his confused look. "What are the X-Men?" Now it was my turn to be confused.

"How do you not- Oh," Logan said, understanding dawning. "McCoy pushes the Professor to let him start up the X-Men, after you and Alex and Sean."

Headlights on the drive stopped any further thought of these so-called X-Men. I knew exactly who it was. "Hank," I breathed, taking off running. I needed to see my boy, needed to see with my own two eyes that one of my boys was safe.

Hank stopped in front of the house and waited for me. I threw myself at him, for once not caring who was around to see my moment of weakness. His arms closed around me, and he buried his face in my neck. "Hey, B," he croaked out.

I carded my fingers through his hair, reassuring myself that he was really there. He was there, in my arms, and unharmed. He was safe. I started to hum, almost without thought, trying to shove as much comfort and reassurance into every note as I possibly could. Hank instantly started to relax, until he was nearly hanging off me. His tall, lanky frame nearly pulled me down, but I simply stiffened my legs and held him up. I was used to it, after all. It was just something that my boys did, whenever they needed some extra affection.

I knew the moment Magneto arrived. Every cell of my body stood at attention, even for my mind nearly screaming, "NO!" Hank caught on to my distress, straightening until he was glaring at the other man over my head. I disentangled myself, staying between the two of them. I wasn't sure how Hank would react to seeing him again.

"It's good to see you, Hank," Magneto said glibly. "I see you managed to control your furry problem."

Hank simply grunted. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm not his friend," Logan said with a grin. "In fact, I'm actually yours."

Seeing Hank's confusion, I suggested, "Why don't we continue this in Charles's office? It might take a while."

The four of us joined Charles in his office, where he was getting to know his nephew. But when little Kurt saw me, he squealed, "Ama!" and teleported directly into my arms. He gave me a sloppy kiss on the cheek, giggled, and cuddled into my neck.

It only took one look at Hank to know he had correctly guessed Kurt's parentage. The raw hurt blazoned on his face gave it away. But he shook himself and locked it all away a moment later. I was torn between pride and worry, both at how well and quickly he had managed it.

Hank was quickly convinced of Logan's time travel, far more quickly than I had. His scientific mind allowed for a far more broad view of possibilities. "So, we need to go to Vietnam to save Alex," he summarized.

"And stop Raven," Charles reminded.

Hank shrugged it off. "Where do we start?"

"I called a friend in the USO, Lucia, before my screaming match with Lotta," I sighed. "We just need to make a stop in Los Angeles tomorrow to finalize everything, and then we'll all have official covers."

Charles looked uneasy about it, but no one else had any qualms. "Hank, your room is ready for you," he said, clearly indicating that our planning session was over. "I'll sort something out for you, Logan. And, Erik…"

"Your old room is still the same," I said, knowing Charles didn't want to bring up old hurts for my sake. I headed to the door. It was past time Kurt went to bed, anyway, so I decided he could sleep in David's bed for the night. We could figure something else out in the morning.

"You left everything there?" Erik's voice at my shoulder didn't surprise me. I'd already known he was there, given my ridiculously heightened awareness of him.

"None of us bothered with the garbage," I replied. "Now, Kurt, let's go find you some pajamas, alright? I think David's old clothes are still in his closet. He and his mama won't mind if you use them."

I left Magneto in the hallway, or, I would have, had Kurt allowed me to. "Va!" he cried happily, but it turned to distress when he wasn't answered. "Ama, Va! Va!"

"Oh, for the love of- He's clearly not going to stop until you come," I snapped, turning to look at Magneto. "I would like some sleep tonight, and that's not going to happen until he does, so are you coming or not?"

I tried to ignore the smugly pleased expression on both male faces. It was difficult, but I managed it.

 **AN: And we have the next chapter! I really hadn't meant to, but Kurt insists on being a little matchmaker, though not on purpose, of course. He's just being a normal toddler, wanting his two favorite people. It's quite entertaining, especially with Bianca's grumblings. Stay tuned for more soon, and brigid1318, as usual, thanks for your lovely review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Toting the child on my hip, I talked to him the whole way to David's room. And yes, I was ignoring Eri-Magneto. I wasn't proud of it, but it was better than to repeatedly yell at him. At least in front of Kurt.

I sat Kurt down to look in the wardrobe in David's room. There were several boxes on the top shelf, and I pushed them around, looking for one specifically. "Now, where did Moira put David's old things, hm? I think they would fit you."

"I do have clothes for him," Magneto spoke up, sounding rather amused as he held up a bag.

Any amusement fled once I whirled around to face him. "You could have said something earlier," I spat, angry that he'd just watched me struggle with the boxes. I may have also wanted to have an excuse to yell at him.

"I thought you would yell at me if I spoke," he said, backing up slightly.

Unfortunately, he was probably right. "Fine, you change him," I said, not wanting to stay in the room with him anymore.

But Kurt had other ideas. The moment I started to leave the room, he began to cry. "Ama! Ama, no!"

"You've got Va, you don't need me, piccolo," I soothed, but he disagreed. Loudly.

"Ama, no! Ama!" he screamed, his little face turning purple in his distress.

"Hush, meine kleiner Affe," Magneto said. I watched, indecisive and upset, as he scooped the boy in his arms. "Ama has other things she needs to do."

"No, Va! Ama!"

"Oh, I'm not sure it'll be a good thing for you and David to meet," I told the little boy, crossing the room back to him. "Because if the two of you decide to join forces, I'll never stand a chance."

"Ama!" Kurt cried, happily now, as he jumped to me. I was still too far to catch him, and he'd clearly taken Magneto by surprise, but before he could tumble to the floor, he was suddenly in my arms, with a poof! of smoke and sulfur. He applauded himself, but I could have sworn my heart had stopped.

"Don't scare Ama like that, piccolo," I scolded, cuddling him to my chest.

It took working with Magneto to get Kurt changed, but we managed it. Then, with Kurt curled up in my arms, I rocked him slowly. Seta Moneta began to fall from my lips without any thought on my part, singing softly to put the boy to sleep. But once I realized just what I was singing, tears clouded my eyes and my throat tightened. Still, I sang to the little boy in my arms, and to the memory of the three not-so-little boys I'd sung it to before.

Little Kurt drifted off after only two rounds of the song, but I somehow couldn't put him down just yet. I cuddled him for far longer than necessary before I finally convinced myself that I really did need to put him down. I tucked him into David's bed, then turned to leave, all the while ignoring Magneto watching me.

He didn't speak until after closing the door behind him. "That was the song you sang to the boys the day we first came here, isn't it."

It most definitely wasn't a question, the way he said it, but I still answered, though I wasn't sure why. "Yes, it's a lullaby, appropriate in both instances." I walked faster, hoping he would take the hint and leave me be.

Erik had rarely done what I'd wanted, however, and he easily kept up with me with those ridiculously long legs of his. "I'm sorry about Sean," he said quietly, stealing the breath from my lungs. "And Alex."

Whirling on him, I punched his stupidly chiseled jaw. "You don't get to talk about them," I hissed. "You don't get to say you're sorry. You left them. You left them, even while knowing of both boys' abandonment issues. So you don't get to be sorry for what happened."

"Yes, I left," he spat back, massaging his jaw. "I left to make the world safer for them, for us all. Meanwhile, you and Charles hid away here, safe behind your marble walls, ignoring the real problems going on out there!"

"Excuse me? We've been helping children, giving them a safe place to learn and grow and control their powers. So sorry for not blowing innocent people up in the name of 'the cause'," I retorted.

"Innocent people? I've never once hurt an innocent," Erik countered.

"Like the thousands of men you almost blew up in Cuba? Or, I don't know, Charles." I suddenly became aware of just how close we were when his pained, stuttered breath fluttered my hair.

His face showed torment for just a moment, before closing off. "Charles was an accident, and those men tried to kill us, in case you'd forgotten. But I wouldn't expect you to remember that, not with my clear transgressions standing out like that."

"You left, Erik," I reminded, uncomfortably close to tears once again. "You left us, would have left your best friend bleeding on a beach if not for me forcing Azazel's hand. And you took Raven, just when he needed her most. The boys looked up to you, were in awe of you. Slightly terrified awe, but awe nonetheless. You tried to kill Moira. And I- You left us, Erik, and then you went on your hell-bent mission to prove mutant superiority, while we stayed here to help Charles heal and begin a school for children. I'm terribly sorry if we've disappointed you somehow."

"Azazel. Janos. Angel. Emma. They're all dead, because of Stryker and Trask," Erik said, and each name felt like a bullet to my heart. Well, perhaps not Emma. "Countless other mutants are all dead or still being experimented on as we speak, and you and Charles sit in your ivory tower, ignoring the real problem. Saving children is a noble cause, but it's only a symptom of the bigger disease."

"And how is killing people going to prove mutants are better?" I pushed.

"We're not better," he sighed, finally backing away from me.

I must have heard wrong. That couldn't possibly be what he'd actually said. In all the time I'd known Erik, that was the thing that drove him, along with killing my father.

My disbelief must have shown on my face. "You don't believe that I think that," he snorted, a self-deprecating smile on his lips. "But it's true. I've seen the worst of humanity, and of mutants. There are good humans, and horrible mutants. Shaw was proof of that. So, while we may have more gifts than humans, we are no better, worth no more than them. I see that now. I only want to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

My jaw gaped as I attempted to wrap my mind around this new version of Erik. "I'm going to bed," was what I finally told him. "I need sleep if I'm going to deal with you tomorrow."

My head and heart were both a jumble as I changed into pajamas once in my room. I climbed into bed, but I really didn't expect to fall asleep anytime soon. I was proven right when a tiny poof! sounded, followed by a sniffing little boy landing on my stomach.

"Oh, la mia scimmietta," I sighed, pulling Kurt into my arms. "I should have known you wouldn't like being alone in there." He sniffled, cuddling further into my neck. It was a long time before either of us fell asleep.

 **AN: I don't know about you guys, but the idea of a little tiny Kurt is just the cutest thing ever. It's always fun to write him. Anywho, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And thanks especially to brigid1318 for your reviews. They always crack me up! And if anyone's looking for a good new story, check her out! She's got several amazing X-Men stories that I utterly love!**

 **As for the translations, both Erik and Bianca called Kurt "my little monkey" but in their own languages, at least according to Google translate for the German. Bianca also called him piccolo, which means little one.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Charles woke me by asking, "Have you seen Kurt? He's not in David's room, and Erik is looking for him." All telepathically, of course.

"He's with me," I replied, cuddling the little boy closer without even opening my eyes. It had been a very long night, and I was anything but pleased that Erik and Charles had interrupted what little sleep I'd managed to get.

Charles knew better than to respond, so I happily sank back into my pillows and let myself fall back to sleep. But, apparently, sleep and I were destined to be in a long-distance relationship, as a quick knock sounded on my door. Kurt woke with a sharp "Va!"

He didn't move, just stared at the door, like he knew exactly who was on the other side. In all fairness, the probability was rather high. "Go see Va, Kurt," I encouraged. After all, I was the one who'd slept with tiny feet burrowing themselves in my ribs all night long. It was far past Erik's turn to deal with him.

But Kurt refused to go. I knew for a fact that he could teleport the distance, since he'd made his way to my room from David's the night before, and that was across the house. "Go, scimmietta," I yawned, just as Erik knocked again.

"Va, Ama," Kurt told me instead. "Va."

"Yes, that's probably Va," I agreed, wincing as Erik knocked once more, rather harder than the first two times.

"Va, Ama!" the little boy insisted. "Va!"

"Alright, I'm going." I rolled out of bed, taking him with me, and stalked toward the door. Opening it, I caught sight of Erik's relieved look, just as I thrust Kurt into his arms. "It's your turn," I told him, pausing only to press a quick kiss to Kurt's cheek before heading back into my room.

A sad "Ama!" stopped me from shutting my door. "Ama, no!"

My eyes clenched shut, as did my heart. I breathed deeply once, before turning back to them. Kurt, really. "You've got Va now, Kurt. Can't Ama have a moment to herself?" I cajoled, forcing a cheery smile onto my lips.

"Let's let Ama get some more sleep, Kurt," Erik added, but only got a sharp glare from the boy in return.

"Nein," he replied emphatically. "Ama stay."

I sighed, but Erik looked shocked. "You learned a new word, mein Kleiner! You are so smart!"

"Ama stay," Kurt repeated, happily swinging his tail and looking incredibly pleased with himself. "Ama stay."

Sighing, I opened the door further, gesturing for Erik to come in. "Can Ama sleep?" I asked, teasingly hopeful.

"No Ama, no sleep!" he giggled.

"I was afraid of that."

"I'm sorry, Bianca, I didn't mean to wake you," Erik said as he passed me. "I'm just not used to Kurt not being where I put him down to sleep."

"He's also not used to this house," I yawned. "He popped in here shortly after I left you last night."

"He slept with you all night?" he asked, eyebrows flying up as he turned to the little boy in his arms. "Did you keep Ama up with your toes in her ribs all night long, mein Kleiner?"

Kurt giggled again, wiggling one foot up in Erik's face. Who immediately grabbed it and pretended to eat it, gaining more giggles from the boy. "Va, no eat!" he squealed, though Erik ignored the protest.

The happy scene caused my heart to clench rather painfully. "Why does he call you Va?" I asked, desperate to distract myself from the sharp pangs.

Erik instantly straightened, a pained look on his face. "He already had a papa," he said softly. "I couldn't take that away from Azazel."

"And Va was the closest to Vati that he could pronounce," I filled in the rest, closing my eyes. "What happened to him, Erik? What happened to Azazel, and Janos? What happened to my friends?"

He cuddled the little boy closer, pressing kisses to his hair. "I was ill, caught pneumonia," he laughed, with absolutely no mirth. "We'd been following Stryker, actually managed to get a few people free from him, but it turns out that he was following us, as well. He completely surrounded our safehouse with his men, in the dead of night, right after one of our raids. I was ill, and exhausted, and clearly Kurt can't defend himself just yet, so before I could even think to argue, Azazel had scooped the two of us up and taken us to another safehouse, across the country. He went back, after promising to bring the others to us, but we never heard from him again. It wasn't until two months ago when I broke into Trask's office that I knew for certain, but I knew it already. Azazel loved Kurt, was happier than I'd ever seen him. If he was alive, there would have been nothing that could have stopped him from coming back to him."

A sudden poof! and my arms were filled with the little boy again. "Ama sad?" he asked, wiping away a tear I hadn't even known had slipped out.

"Yes, scimmieta, Ama is sad," I replied, cuddling him closer.

"Ama no cry," he informed me as he wrapped his tiny arms around my neck. "No cry." He petted my hair, somewhat frantically, as he tried to soothe me.

"Oh, piccolo," I sighed wetly. "You're so sweet."

"Bianca, Moira and David will be home within the hour. Are you ready to leave when they arrive?" Charles's voice in my head brought my thoughts around.

"I will be," I told him, then turned to Kurt. "Can Ama get dressed, Kurt? Would that be alright?"

He brushed away a few more tears, then nodded seriously. Erik came to take him, but just before we transferred his weight, the boy kissed my cheek. "Love."

"I love you, too," I told him, surprising myself with the truth of the statement. Alex was right, I am a sucker for little kids, I thought, pushing aside the pang that thinking of him brought.

 **AN: I'm sorry this is so late. I'm fairly certain my muse has utterly died, either that, or she's partying somewhere far away from me. I promise I will finish this story, though, even if I can't promise speedy updates. Thanks to those of you who have stuck with me, and a big thanks to brigid1318 for her lovely reviews.**

 **As for the translations, both Bianca and Erik call Kurt any variation of my little monkey, like little one, little monkey, things like that. Ciao!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Charles, Hank, and I waited for Moira and David to arrive. Erik and Kurt played nearby, and Logan watched everything with a sharp eye. I didn't know how he was handling everything so calmly, since I could hardly wrap my mind around everything and he was the one who'd done the time-travelling. But, before I could think too much on it, Charles suddenly lifted his head, beaming. "They're here."

And, of course, two minutes later, Moira's car could be seen pulling onto the driveway. Charles practically vibrated with excitement and anxious anticipation. "You'd think it's been ages since he saw them last," I stage-whispered to Hank, "instead of just two weeks."

Charles playfully glared at me. "Says the woman who nearly tackled Hank last night."

I grinned, and Hank laughed. It was a much-needed moment of normality, coating each of us in a protective layer of friendship.

Moira parked the car, and Charles was at her door before she'd even turned it off. Hank and I weren't terribly far behind, though, prepared for the tiny missile that launched himself into my arms the moment Hank opened the back door. A happy, warm feeling overcame me; David's happiness at seeing me again radiated from his mind.

"I missed you, Davide," I muttered against his hair.

A rapid rush of emotions flowed over me, sadness, excitement, contentment, happiness, worry. The blur of memories that came with made sense: saying goodbye to Charles and me, his mother's infectious excitement to see her family, snuggling with his grandfather in a rocking chair, getting to ride a horse (a pony, really) for the first time, the telephone call Moira had received.

"You've had quite the busy two weeks," I told him with a smile. "But I suppose I should share you. Would you like to go see Hank now?"

David's answer was to simply stretch his arms to Hank, who gladly took the boy and gave him a snuggle.

A tiny poof! was the only warning I got before my arms were once more filled with Kurt. "Hello, piccolo," I grinned down at him, but the smile faded when I saw the pout on his face. "What is it, amore? What's wrong?"

He didn't answer, simply buried his tiny face in my neck once more.

I had no idea what could possibly be wrong. I smoothed his hair down and kissed his head, bouncing a bit as I tried to figure out what to do.

"I'm afraid David and Kurt are both feeling a bit jealous of each other," Charles informed me. He and Moira joined us, and David made a leap for his father before turning to glare at the boy in my arms. After settling his son into his arms and pressing a loud, smacking kiss that earned him a giggle from the boy, Charles continued. "Both of them are incredibly fond of you, and neither are terribly keen on sharing with the other."

"Oh, my boys," I laughed. "You'll just have to learn to share me, just like your uncles did." A pang in my heart nearly brought tears to my eyes at the thought of their uncles, but I pushed it aside to focus on what was in front of me. A few steps brought me next to Charles, and subsequently, David. "Kurt, this is David. I'm his Zia. David, this is Kurt. I'm his… Ama. Now, can you two play nicely with each other? Kurt's not taking me from you, David, and David won't steal me from you, Kurt. I love you both. And that's not going to change."

I couldn't have missed Moira's sharp glance at my words, but it really wasn't the time to explain everything. Plus, I knew Charles's mental filling-in would be far faster than anything I could tell her. So, I focused on the boys, who were focused on each other. After a long, tense moment, Kurt smiled. "Da!"

And wonder of wonders, David smiled back. He rarely took to new people quickly. In fact, several students who'd been at the school for months still got avoided. But a grin, an actual smile for Kurt was very nearly a miracle. "Why don't you boys go play on the grass, hm?" Charles said, bending slightly to let David slide down his body to the ground.

"Go on, Kurt, you'll have fun," I told the little boy in my arms. "David knows all the good things in the yard." I set him down, and the two toddled off.

Heat at my back announced Erik's arrival, as well as the instant glower on Moira's face. "Why doesn't your son speak?" he asked. "From his size, I'd guess he was at least a year older than Kurt, so why doesn't he speak?"

"David does speak, but only when he chooses to," Moira defended, her hackles clearly raised.

"He's an even stronger telepath than I am," Charles continued, wrapping an arm around his wife in what seemed to be an unconscious move. They simply gravitated toward one another. "I could speak to him even in the womb, and he could communicate with all of us, as well. And when he chooses to speak, he's got quite the vocabulary for a three-year-old. But, since he is three, it's easier for him to simply share what he's thinking or feeling telepathically than try to explain what he wants for you to know."

"Are we ready to leave?" Moira asked Charles. Her tension, to say nothing of her abruptness, displayed her anxiety discussing her son around Erik. I couldn't say that I blamed her.

"Petra had to run into town for a few supplies, but she'll be back shortly," he soothed.

"I'll be with the boys until then," she said, turning to join her son and his newly-found cousin.

I also joined them, not wanting to be around Erik any more than I had to be. I still had no idea how I felt about him, or rather I had far too many feelings about him. And I most certainly didn't want to examine any of them.

Moira and I watched the boys as they chased each other, squealing and laughing with the happiness that children seem to radiate. "How was your trip?" I asked her, wanting to focus on, well, just about anything other than Erik.

She smiled briefly. "It was good. My parents adore David, and he got to play with his cousins, ride a horse."

"He showed me that," I laughed. "He was very pleased with himself."

"Oh, he was," she chuckled at the memory. But then she sighed. "How are you doing, with the news?"

So, there may have been a few topics I would rather not think about. I sighed, closing my eyes against the pain in my heart. "I'll manage," I told her finally. "We'll get Alex back, and then I'll deal with… the rest."

"Or, in other words, you'll bury it so far down, you don't have to think about it," Moira corrected me knowingly.

"You're not the one who can read minds, so stop acting like it," I joked.

"I just know you well," she grinned.

We watched as the boys played some game that only they understood. But eventually, the moment had to end. "Petra's on her way back, so we need to get ready to leave," Charles said as he came to join us.

"And I should probably say goodbye to Lotta," I groaned. I climbed to my feet and dusted myself off.

"Yes, she's not terribly fond of goodbyes that don't actually happen," he grinned at me.

"And she won't let me forget it," I muttered, heading back to the house.

Lotta's bedroom door was closed, not that I was surprised, and locked. I knocked, but didn't get a response. Also, not a surprise. "Lotta, I'm leaving now," I said, loudly enough that she could hear in her room. "I didn't want to leave without talking to you first. And I know you're upset with me, but I wanted to say goodbye."

Still nothing from inside. Guilt mingled with anger, hurt, and a tinge of fear. "Lotta, I love you. We'll talk when I get back." With a sigh, I turned around and went back outside.

Charles and Erik were explaining to the boys that they would have to stay at the school while we went away, but that we would come back to them. "We've got to go get Uncle Alex," Charles told David, "so you need to stay here with Petra and Suzanne, alright? You'll be good for them, yes?"

Erik's words were in German, a language I had tried to forget. "Sei ein guter Junge. Wir müssen Mamas Bruder bekommen. Wir werden zurückkommen. Ich liebe dich."

Moira also took a turn to assure her son, but I didn't have a chance to hear it, since Kurt teleported himself into my arms. "Ti amo, piccolo mio. Torneremo, lo prometto."

There were quite a lot of tears as we said goodbye, and only most came from the boys. Suzanne and Petra gently peeled the boys off us, then helped them wave to us as we climbed into the car. "You know, Charles," Hank said conversationally, "it would be so much easier if you would just let me build a hangar on the property." He pulled down the driveway and out the gate.

"You should build it under the basketball court, like I suggested," I added, putting as much space as possible between me and Erik on my right.

Logan laughed from my left. "So that was your idea. I never knew."

"If I couldn't read your mind, I would think you're simply putting me on," Charles replied, sarcasm coating his words. "But if you think your future knowledge will sway me, you're vastly mistaken. We run a school, not a military base."

 **AN: Ugh, it's been forever, I know, and I'm sorry. Life has been a bit crazy, and my muse has kinda been abandoning me. But I won't abandon this story, I promise! I kinda committed myself when I posted Siren, so I'm in this for the long haul. This one is probably going to be longer than Siren, so that might be a really long haul, but I will finish it! Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to brigid1318 and ZabuzasGirl for your reviews!**

 **P.S. I can't believe I forgot the translations! Sorry! Erik says, "** **Be a good boy. We have to get Mama's brother. We'll be back. I love you." And Bianca says, "I love you, my little one. We'll be back, I promise." Sorry I forgot earlier!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Once in the airplane, I was quick to claim the co-pilot seat next to Hank. Not only was I fully qualified to fly, it also meant I was as far away from Erik as it was possible to be and still be on board. And I ignored Hank's all too knowing smirk.

While we flew, we chatted, simply enjoying being together. I told him some more about the school, and moaned a bit about Lotta and her attitude issues, and he told me about his work with Mr. Stark and the girl he was seeing, Janet. We talked constantly, to avoid thinking.

Until Charles interrupted. "Bianca, you need to see this."

Hank and I exchanged a worried glance, but neither of us knew what he wanted. But I figured it out as soon as I opened the door to the main cabin. "Madonna mia. What do you think you're doing?"

Lotta looked utterly unrepentant. "Helping you bring Alex home. What do you think you're doing?"

Logan snorted back a chuckle, while Erik smirked. My glare wiped that right off his face. "Why, in the name of all that's holy, did you sneak onto this plane?"

"Because I can help save Alex!" she cried. "And before you try saying I don't have any combat powers, you know Nonno got trainers for me, just like he did for you. So, I can take care of myself. And I managed to get past Professor Chuck, so that ought to count for something."

That brought me up short. "How did she manage that?" I asked him, entirely done with the whole situation.

Charles had the decency to look chagrined, at least. "She's been singing in her head for the last eighteen hours or so. She does that often, to keep me out, I presume, so I didn't think anything of it. Until it didn't get any fainter the farther we got from the school. Erik found her hiding in the bathroom."

I sighed, fighting the familiar urge to beat my head against the nearest hard object. "Can we take her back?"

"Hank just informed me that we've just passed the fuel point of no return," he replied regretfully. "And time is of the essence for Alex."

"We could leave her in Los Angeles with Lucia," Moira suggested.

I nodded. Rubbing my temples didn't seem to do any good against the headache I had building, but it didn't hurt to try.

"You can't just leave me with a perfect stranger!" Lotta screeched.

I rolled my eyes. "She's family. You've even met her."

Then, she landed a low blow. "You know Nonno wanted me to stay with you. He said it was safest for me with you."

"He didn't know I would be going into a war zone." Still, she was right. And we both knew it, unfortunately. "Fine, but you will do exactly as I say. You will listen to all of us adults. And you will not be a problem, or so help me, you will be grounded until you turn thirty. Do you understand?"

"You're not my mother," she shot back. "You can't ground me."

"Watch me," I ground out.

Something in my face must have convinced her, because she reluctantly nodded a moment later. Since I knew she would never go back on her word, I relaxed a bit, just a tiny bit, and turned back to the cockpit. But Lotta's next words stopped me in my tracks. "So, you're the stupido che ferisce Bianca."

"He speaks Italian, Lotta," I groaned, wanting to hide in a very small hole. Forever.

"Il perfetto!" she chirped. "That makes this even easier!"

"You're sitting by me." I hauled her up to sit at the very front of the cabin. "And you can stay over there," I told Erik. "I don't need you filling her head with nonsense." I ignored the stricken look on his face, the one that had been there since Lotta spoke to him.

That ended up being the longest flight I'd ever been on. With the exception of Hank and Moira, I wanted to kill every person on that plane by the time we landed. Lotta pestered me the whole time, asking me about Erik and commenting on his looks in both English and Italian. Charles and Logan were both far too amused with her antics, Logan even encouraging her at times. My glare did nothing to stop him. And Erik… Well, Erik was simply there. That was enough of a reason for homicidal thoughts.

Lucia met us at a restaurant with all the necessary paperwork. She'd even had the foresight to bring a few blank ones, just in case, so I didn't have any real excuse to leave Lotta with her. Other than not taking a teenager into a war zone, but I'd already done that once, so I couldn't even use that. "You won't have to do any shows, either," she promised me. "They've got a schedule already, so no one will be looking for you to perform. This will just get you into the country."

That was one worry off my back. "Thank you for this. I owe you one."

"No, you don't," she grinned at me. "That's what family is for. Have you told Don Aurelio where you're going?" At my panicked look, Lucia laughed. "You forgot."

"I didn't forget, so much as didn't want to bother him," I hedged.

"You forgot," Lotta corrected.

"Why don't you go over with the others for a moment?"

Lotta grinned. "Gladly." She skipped over to the other table and plonked herself down next to Erik before I could realize my mistake.

Lucia was also far too entertained by my predicament. At least she was polite enough to say nothing about it. "I'll call Atlantic City. With the way things are going over there, I'll probably only be able to leave a message anyway, so hopefully you'll be back before he finds out you've put yourself and Lotta in danger again."

"One can only hope."

After lunch, the plane was refueled and ready to go. We flew to Hawaii, where Charles had already arranged accommodations for us for the night. Then, bright and early the next morning, we flew the last leg of the journey into Vietnam, landing in Camp Carroll, Alex's base.

Lucia had informed us that we were arriving the same day as another USO arrival, so it was the perfect cover. No one really paid us much attention beyond a cursory welcome. And then we managed to blend in, thanks to the uniforms Moira arranged for us. It was the first time I'd ever been grateful that Lotta looked far older than her seventeen years.

Charles picked out Alex's commander's mind from the mass, learning his unit's last mission. "The rest of his unit is here," he gasped, grabbing Moira's hand as his eyes flew open. "They're in the quarantine tent."

I was moving before he'd finished speaking. It wasn't hard to find the right tent; it was the one with the big red cross on it. The two guards in front didn't look terribly inclined to let us in, until Lotta hummed a few bars, just loud enough for them to hear. And instantly, the soldiers relaxed their stance. One even held the tent flap for us.

Sparing a second to give Lotta an approving nod, I looked around. And I understood exactly what kind of unit Alex had been in. From the man with the spikes instead of hair, the one with warty-looking skin and huge eyes encased in goggles, and the one with what looked like a tattoo over his eye, they were all mutants. Suddenly, I understood Alex's disappearance far better, with a sickening drop of my stomach.

"Excuse me, this is a quarantined area," the medic, who was loading vials of blood into a case, told us sharply. "You can't-"

"Sleep," Charles ordered, and everyone but the three mutant soldiers dropped to the ground where they stood. The three stood up immediately.

"You Xavier?" the spiky one asked.

"I am. We're looking for Alex Summers."

"Summers told us what you could do. We didn't believe him," Spike said, somewhat in awe.

A rustle at the flap of the tent drew our attention. The officer who walked in was still talking to the sentries. "I'm just giving my men a proper sendoff." But once his head was turned forward, he froze.

"Raven?" Charles asked incredulously.

The man, or Raven, apparently, shook her head, walking toward us, but carefully ignoring Erik. And me. And Hank. "I don't know how you found out, Charles, but we've got to get these men out of here."

"We're going home," the tattoo one protested.

"That's not where the Army is sending you," she countered.

"Let's go, gentlemen." Another man entered the tent, leading an additional four men. He stopped when he saw us. "What exactly are you doing in here?"

"We're taking these men home," I said, pasting on a cheery smile. "They've done their duty, and now it's time for them to go home."

"Not yet, it isn't," the new man argued. "I have orders for them to come with me."

"Your men are not military," Raven pointed out.

"Private outfit," he smirked, handing her printed orders. "We're authorized to remand these men."

"These troops are going home," Raven insisted.

"Well, Colonel, you don't have jurisdiction in this matter." I really wanted to punch him in his smug face. Then, in a flash, his smug grin suddenly shifted to something far more wary. "What happened to those men?" he asked, pulling out his gun and gesturing to the fallen medics.

Erik used his power to rip the gun from the man's hands. "Charles, it might be a good time to do something," he said, stopping the bullets from the other guns from hitting the rest of us.

Without further thought, I started singing. There was no way I was going to let this man stop us from getting my kid. But Lotta started at the same time, somewhat countering my attempts to pacify with her attempts to get them to turn their guns on one another.

"Sleep," Charles ordered again, much louder than the last time.

The new soldiers all dropped, with their leader the last one. "Alright, it's time to go," Moira ordered.

The three mutant soldiers looked hesitant, until Logan unsheathed claws I hadn't known he had. "If you want to go be lab rats for a sadistic psychopath, stay here. Otherwise, come with us." The three of them looked from his claws to his face, then back to his claws, then agreed to come with. Logan put the claws away with a grim grin, then took in a deep breath, like he was trying to keep control of himself. But I didn't have much time to worry about him just yet.

"Where are we going, then?" Ink asked.

"Grab your gear and follow us," Erik ordered.

"Act natural, like you're really going home, just like you thought," I added. Then, mentally to Charles, I asked, "These soldiers are going to remember us when they wake up."

Charles answered, but spoke aloud to all of us. "No, they won't. Stryker and his men will remember that these men were gone when they arrived, and the medics will remember receiving new orders for these men to be sent home. But we have to leave, now. Alex is being held at a black ops site forty kilometers away. He's alive, for now, but won't be for much longer if we don't hurry."

 **AN: And we have the next chapter, and probably my least favorite mutant. Yes, Raven is necessary, unfortunately. But don't worry, anyone, (cough*brigid1318*cough) Hank has moved on. And that's not so much a spoiler as a reassurance, but I'm not giving anything else away! Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to brigid1318 for your dedicated reviewing! It's so nice to get a review from an author I love!**

 **P.S. I can't believe I forgot the translation again! Sorry, guys! Lotta tells Erik "You're the stupid guy who hurt Bianca." And then "Perfect!" but you probably figured that part out :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Raven led us to a waiting truck, while I sang a bit to keep everyone else interested in their own business. "I'd forgotten just how useful you could be, Bianca," she quipped, eyebrow cocked mockingly.

"I'm quite useful to the people I love," I shot back, smiling sweetly, while holding Lotta back from attacking her.

Raven scowled. "Get in," she ordered us all. "Stryker won't sleep forever, and we've got to get to the site before he does."

Charles and Moira got in the cab with her, while the rest of us piled in the back. My heart pinched as Hank handed me in, causing me to remember another ride in the back of a truck. I pushed aside the feeling, reminding myself that I didn't have time to wallow in my sadness, not if I wanted to save Alex. But Hank's sad eyes told me he was remembering the same thing, so, with a bright smile for him, I squeezed his hand, trying to push all the love I had for him into that one gesture.

We were all barely in before Raven started driving, and definitely not settled. I made sure to sit Lotta between me and Hank, with Logan on my other side. I still wanted Erik far away from me, while simultaneously wanting to plaster myself against him and never let go. "So, boys, why don't you tell us your names, and we'll introduce ourselves?" I instructed the three soldiers after we were all situated, only partly to distract myself.

"Daniels, ma'am, Evan Daniels," Spike told me, quite respectfully. He seemed sweet, and very unsure of himself. I had to tamp down the maternal swelling that made me immediately want to claim him. You've already got three boys, I told myself sternly, denying for just a moment that Sean was gone. You can't claim another one.

"Eric Glitter," Ink replied, huddling somewhat into himself. And another one, I mentally sighed.

"Toynbee, Mortimer," the one with the goggles said, still clearly in military mode.

"You keep that tongue to yourself, Toad," Logan growled, from the other side of me.

"Tongue?" came from several of us, terribly surprised, while Toynbee, or Toad, as Logan called him, paled.

"How did you know? Who are you?" he asked, nervously looking around the enclosed space.

"I'm Bianca Serena," I began, but I didn't have a chance to continue before Toad lightened considerably.

"Summers told us about you, too," he said, leaning towards me seemingly unconsciously. "He said you can make anybody do anything you want, just by your voice."

Lotta scoffed, but I ignored her. "I can persuade people using music, yes, but I-"

"Summers also said you were basically his mom," Ink interjected. "You don't look old enough to be anyone's mom."

I laughed, a bit flattered despite myself. "Thank you for the compliment. And Alex was exaggerating. I'm not-"

"B, you're his mom," Hank cut me off, giving me a stern look over Lotta's head. "You've been his mom, and mine, and Sean's, for five years. And you mother everyone you can at the school, even if you try to pretend like you don't. You can't deny it."

"Even I know that," Logan piped up. "And I'd never met you before three days ago."

"Fine, I'm the mom," I caved, "but I don't put up with idiots. Now, this is Lotta, my niece, Hank, Logan. And that's Erik."

We all explained a little of what we could do, though most of us held back a bit. For example, I didn't say anything about my ability to absorb energy. Hank didn't say anything about his blue form, just muttered something about being extremely strong. And I was sure Logan wasn't telling the whole truth when he slipped out his claws again, making a bit of a rude gesture that made Lotta laugh. Evan, or Spike, simply gestured to the spiky protrusions on his head bashfully, though I got the feeling, from his companions' sideways looks, that it wasn't his only mutation. But Mortimer, the one Logan had referred to as Toad, happily supplied the fact that he had a strong, and grotesquely long, tongue, and Eric told us that he used the tattoos he's got to affect others, like either to heal or make them sick. He didn't offer any more details, and I wasn't entirely sure I wanted more.

We travelled along the rutted road for more than an hour before Raven apparently took us off it. "Sorry about this," Charles broadcasted to those of us bouncing around in the back. "Raven felt it wasn't the best idea to approach from the front gates."

I hung onto Lotta, absorbing some of the energy bouncing us around to try and keep our teeth from rattling out of our heads. "Raven doesn't have to ride back here, either," I grumbled, pulling a little smile from Hank. And surprisingly, Logan, as well.

"She's not my favorite person," he told me softly in response to my questioning look. "She's tried to seduce me by looking like the woman I love. Or will, I guess. This time travel thing really messes with you."

I couldn't help the tiny thrill of satisfaction that ran through me when I noticed Erik glaring at Logan. It was petty of me, I knew that, but it was still rather satisfying to see him even the tiniest bit jealous. But I didn't have long to contemplate it, as the truck jerked to a stop. "Raven needs driving lessons," Erik grumbled, jumping out first.

Hank helped Lotta down, but Erik reached me before I could react. And, as I didn't want to create a scene in front of four relative strangers, I allowed him to help me. Instantly, I regretted it as his fingers wrapped around my waist, sending heat flooding through me. Our eyes met, like something from the films Lotta loved to watch, and I wanted nothing so much as I wanted his kiss. It didn't help that I knew what his kiss did to me; I'd spent five years trying to forget it. His eyes darkened gratifyingly, and he opened his mouth.

"B, are you all set?" Hank asked loudly, breaking the moment.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks," I said, jerking myself out of Erik's hands. "Let's get Alex, shall we?"

We joined Charles, Moira, and Raven at the front of the truck. "Trask must be in contact with the Russians," Charles said sardonically, "because I can't get a thought from a person inside that compound. I can hear the guards along the outside loud and clear, but I can't get a thing from anyone inside."

"Are you sure there's even anyone there?" Ink asked. I decided then and there that he was going by Ink, because having more than one Erik around was far too confusing.

Charles smiled kindly. "I am. The guards all keep thinking about those inside, as did Stryker." I noticed Logan flinched badly at the name, but it wasn't the right time to ask him about it. "I can get us past the guards, but I don't know how my power will work once inside."

"Then we go now. Element of surprise on our side," I said, itching to get to my boy. I didn't want to leave him there for one more minute. Who knew what psychotic scientists might do to him?

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Erik grinned, both at me and at the thought of a fight. I hated that I knew him so well.

"Go big or go home," Logan added, a feral smile curling his lips. It halted when he noticed us all staring at him. "Sorry, future phrase. The kids all say it, and sadly, it's bled into my vocabulary."

The four newcomers stared more, but I simply moved ahead. "Lotta, stick by me and take this," I told my niece, handing her one of the pistols from Stryker's guards Charles has put to sleep back at the base. I wasn't about to let her walk into this without protection, more than just her training from Nonno. "Don't shoot any of us."

"Unless it's Raven," Erik murmured, only loud enough for Lotta and me to hear.

I couldn't help the smile that peaked out at that. It was funny, and the thrill of an upcoming fight was singing in my veins. Trask was about to regret that he'd taken my boys.

 **AN: And we have another chapter! I'm trying to work on this more, along with my other WIPs, so hopefully every other week or so we'll be able to see a new chapter. I'm not promising that, though, just in case something comes up. But thanks for reading, and a big thanks to brigid1318 for your lovely, and dedicated, reviewing! Also, if you're looking for something else to read, she's got some pretty amazing X-Men stories, too, featuring our favorite blue mutant!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

As soon as we burst through the tree line, I started singing. I didn't think too much, just let my anger and pain at my boys being taken from me bleed through my every note. After a few seconds, Lotta joined in, her anger just as sharp as mine. Together, we easily turned all the guards against each other, and their fighting paved the way for our group to enter through the fence, courtesy of Erik. He simply parted it like I would curtains and waved us through.

"Bianca, Lotta, stop," Charles said firmly. "These are just men following orders."

"These aren't soldiers, Charles," I spat back. "They all joined this 'private outfit' to avoid going into the military. They had to know what's going on inside, and they are just as complicit as those at the top. And I will show no mercy to anyone who is behind this fence voluntarily."

Logan snorted. "I knew I was gonna like you. Let's go."

Hank and the three soldiers picked up dropped weapons on our way inside. "Hank?" Charles questioned, making me want to strangle my friend.

"I designed this rifle, Charles. Did you really think I couldn't use the weapons I've been designing for Stark?"

"And I knew I liked you," Logan snorted out another laugh. "Now, Professor Chuck, can we go in, or do we need to leave you out here with your delicate sensibilities?"

A smile fought its way across my face as I left the arguing behind. I didn't care that Charles disapproved of my methods; I hadn't encouraged the guards to kill each other, after all, just to fight one another to keep them occupied. And if they knocked each other out, well, then that was just a bonus. As I ran into the building, though, I heard several drop, like Charles got tired of my methods and put the guards to sleep, instead. As long as they stayed out of my way, I wasn't complaining of the methods that took them out.

Once inside, a few startled guards made a feeble attempt at stopping us. I say feeble, because Erik simply stripped them all of their guns and pistol whipped each one, causing each guard to fall to the ground, utterly unconscious. "You could save some for the rest of us," I teased, the giddy feeling of a fight I knew we would win giving me a high I hadn't felt in years, and masking my true emotions.

"I'll save the scientists for you," he grinned back, causing my stomach to flip. Until I remembered just who I was speaking to, and what he was referring to.

"They'll regret ever touching my boys," I vowed, punching the guard who came around the corner. "Or any other mutant."

We fought our way through another rush of guards, and I couldn't help but wonder just how many were in this "facility". Lotta and I headed down one hallway, as I wasn't willing to let her leave my sight, but it seemed like the direction most of the guards were coming from. Erik followed, and I wasn't sure if I was furious or ecstatic. Or possibly furiously ecstatic. But soon enough, the guards were being replaced by panicked scientists, so-called doctors who knew exactly what happened as a result of their actions. And then kept going. My anger boiled over into my song, turning the scientists onto each other with a fervor that had been missing with the guards. These were the ones doing the experiments, the ones actually hurting my boys.

Lotta followed my example, her song tinged with a vicious glee. Neither of us were remotely sorry when our music left several dead on the floor, others with wounds they most likely wouldn't survive.

Erik simply ushered us forward. "They seemed to be guarding something further down this way," he said. "Why don't we go see exactly what it was?"

It turned out to be a series of cells, each filled with a pitiful prisoner. Erik made quick work of the doors, and Lotta and I convinced each inside that it was actually safe to come out. Most seemed to be soldiers, either snatched from missions or "transferred" like Stryker had tried to do with Ink, Spike, and Toad. A few were Vietnamese villagers who didn't understand a word we said, but with our persuasive powers, they were able to understand we were there to save them. But the last cell was the most heartbreaking.

A young woman, who couldn't be older than Lotta, slowly emerged, clutching a newborn to her chest, with another tiny child clinging to her leg. The child seemed barely old enough to walk, still rather wobbly on stick thin legs. Horrified understanding flooded over me, making me nearly lose what little I'd managed to eat that day.

An elderly woman shuffled over to help the girl, as well as one of the soldiers. His quick communications with her let me know he could speak Vietnamese, which helped immensely. I told him to tell those not speaking English that they needed to follow us and we would get them out. We were mutants, just like them, and we would get them free.

As the cells were the end of that hall, we led our ragged band back the way we had come. I couldn't help but notice the reactions when we ran into the scientists again. As bodies littered the floor, it was difficult to walk without stepping on someone, and most of the soldiers didn't bother to try. Several of the villagers spat at them, anger and pain ruling every action.

But as we got back to the main hallway, the soldier who'd spoken to the villagers stopped us. "There's more cells that way," he told me. "And they're the ones being experimented on currently."

After quick instructions, his buddy led the rest of the former captives out the way we had come, while he led Lotta, Erik, and me further in. "Name's Thompkins," he introduced as we hurried down the hall.

I couldn't stop myself from hoping that I would see Alex at any moment, hold my boy in my arms, so I barely noticed when Lotta took it upon herself to introduce us.

"You're not those Serenas, are you?" he questioned, looking a bit intimidated as I tuned back into the conversation around me.

"Those Serenas?" Erik asked quickly, and the protective note to his words warmed my heart, for just a second, before I could help myself.

"I'm from Atlantic City," Thompkins hurried to explain. "There's a family there-"

"Yes, we're those Serenas," I cut him off with a grin. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

"No, not at all," he squeaked. "Actually, I thought you looked familiar. You sing at the White Siren, don't you?"

"She used to," Lotta snarled, stalking forward furiously.

"Don't worry, she's mad at me, not you," I assured Thompkins.

He nodded, but any response he might have made was cut off when Lotta screamed. A guard suddenly popped up, grabbing her before anyone could do anything. "Don't come any closer, or I'll slit her throat," he growled, his gleaming knife against Lotta's throat.

Red filled my vision. How dare he threaten my Lotta? My mouth opened without conscious thought, a wordless song filling the air. But just as he started to relax his grip on her, she reared back and cracked her head against his nose, making him nearly drop her in his haste to let go. Erik finished him off with his own knife.

Thompkins stared at the three of us in slightly terrified awe. "You are-"

But the most blessed sound I'd ever heard cut him off. "B, is that- Is that you?"

"Alex!" I surged forward, running to my boy. "Where are you?"

Erik assisted by ripping all the doors from the walls. "Ov-over here!" Alex coughed.

That wasn't terribly encouraging. If Alex needed me to get him out of his cell, things had to be very bad for the terribly proud and independent man.

I found him in the last cell, though I encouraged the other captives I came across to leave, as well. "B, you're here," he breathed in relief the second I crossed the threshold. "You came."

"I'll always come for you," I swore, hurrying to his side. He was slumped against the farthest wall, in the corner so dark I could barely make out his silhouette. But once I made it to him, I realized he wasn't the only one there. Someone else lay with their shaved head in Alex's lap, presumably the reason Alex hadn't left already under his own power.

"Hey, B's here," Alex said, softly shaking the other man's shoulder. "I told you she would come for us."

Hope mixed with disbelief in a powerful cocktail as I waited with bated breath for the other person to turn toward me. "B? Am I dreaming?" Sean croaked, so quietly I could hardly hear him.

 **AN: I hope that was a surprise for you! I really like Sean, so I didn't want him to be dead, and since I'm the writer, he gets to live! Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to brigid1318 for your lovely reviews!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Tears filled my eyes as I looked at my boy, the one I'd thought dead. "Sean, you- you're alive?" I could scarcely believe my own eyes, terrified that I was dreaming, or hallucinating, or someone had messed with my mind without me knowing.

"Hey, B, looks like you haven't gotten rid of me just yet," Sean joked, grimacing as his half-grin pulled at his split lips.

"Alex!" Lotta came screaming into the cell, barely stopping short of throwing herself on Alex when she saw Sean in his lap. "Sean?"

"We've got to go, Bianca," Erik said, joining us in the cell, but staying at the doorway as Alex jerked back, shielding Sean as much as he was capable of.

"He's here to help, Alex," I said softly, "and I won't let anyone else hurt either of you. Now, let Erik take Sean, and let's go home."

If anyone else had said those words, I doubt Alex would have listened. As it was, he barely hesitated before nodding, allowing Erik to move close enough to carefully pull Sean up into his arms. Lotta and I helped Alex up and pulled his arms over our shoulders. The five of us made our way slowly out of the cell to where Thompkins stood guard.

"Bianca!" Hank's shout pulled our attention back the way we'd come. "Bianca, we've got to get out of here. Styker's- Alex! Sean?" he gasped, pulling up short as he saw the bundle in Erik's arms.

"Hey, Beast," Sean waved, or attempted to. It was more of a slight jerk, but no one commented.

Hank stared at him for a moment. "You idiot," he finally grinned. "I can't believe you're not dead."

"It would take more than Trask to kill me," Sean rasped, still flopped against Erik's shoulder.

Those words seemed to give Hank a mental shake. "We've got to get out of here. Trask and Stryker are on their way, thirty minutes out."

There was no way I was staying any longer than absolutely necessary. "Hank, take Alex. You and Erik go back to the truck. Thompkins, you're with me. We're not leaving any mutant in here."

Hank jumped to listen to me, scooping Alex up like he was nothing. But he was the only one who listened. "Thompkins, take Sean. I'm going with Bianca," Erik said, already moving to transfer Sean to the other soldier. When I started to protest, he turned a very unimpressed eyebrow on me. "I'm not letting you go through this facility without me."

"She's not alone," Lotta reminded. "I'm going with her."

Knowing both would argue, wasting valuable time, if I tried to protest, I simply nodded. "Let's go, then."

We cleared the rest of the facility, collecting other mutants as we went through. And we stumbled upon Raven, collecting every file she could from Trask's office. "They're on their way back," I warned, and she nodded.

"I'll meet you at the truck. There's no one else in this wing."

It wasn't long before we started smelling smoke, and I figured she'd set what she couldn't carry on fire. Our little entourage made its way out, followed shortly by Raven, to where Charles and Moira were herding everyone into confiscated trucks. Erik boosted Lotta into the truck where the boys were, then reached back to help me. One second, he was pulling me toward him, the next, pushing me to the ground with a yell.

He rolled over me, covering me more fully, even while clutching his left shoulder with his right hand. Where bright red blood seeped between his fingers. I stared at him in horror, frozen, until the crack of gunfire registered in my mind. Looking up, I saw the flash of a rifle scope up on top of the only building not already smoldering.

Without thought, I stretched my powers in that direction, pushing faster as I sensed another gunshot. But this one didn't make its intended target. Instead, I used the energy from the gunshot, causing the rifle to explode in the hands of the sniper. One less problem to worry about, a tiny part of my mind crowed. But most of it was occupied with the man bleeding on top of me.

Thompkins and Hank hurried over and lifted Erik off me, though it was mostly Hank doing the work. We shoved him into the truck with Sean and Alex and yelled for everyone else to get in the closest vehicle, since we didn't know if there happened to be any other snipers in the area.

Moira shifted into gear nearly the second Thompkins shut the tailgate, leading the way back into the jungle. I gripped Erik's hand as Hank ripped his shirt, exposing the bloody hole in his shoulder. "What were you thinking?" I spat, anger coming out to mask the fear pulsing through me from the moment I saw his blood.

"Better me than you," he managed, between grit teeth.

"And you couldn't have caught it any other way than with your shoulder?"

"I didn't see it in time," he gasped. I was a bit impressed that he even managed to speak, with how Hank was digging in his shoulder with his pocket knife.

"I can't see it," Hank growled. "I can't get it out if I can't see it!"

Erik grit his teeth, and I knew what he was about to do. "Erik, no!" But, as per usual, he didn't listen to me. Instead, he used his power to pull the bullet out, passing out in my lap afterwards. "I hate you," I said, shoving more of his torn shirt into the wound to attempt to staunch the blood.

He came around again about ten minutes later, just as Moira stopped the truck. Charles let us know we were stopping to regroup, to figure out just what we were going to do from there. "And Ink wants to help Erik," he told us. "He said he can heal him, at least probably."

"Get him in here," I growled, ignoring the knowing looks he and Moira sent me. "He can help Sean and Alex, too, then."

The quiet younger man soon stuck his head in our truck. "I can probably help him," Ink said, "but I've never healed anything as complex as a bullet wound."

"Anything will be appreciated," Hank told him kindly, pulling up the remains of the shirt to expose the wound again.

After several long moments of intense concentration on Ink's part, and strained panting on Erik's, the wound began to knit itself together before our eyes. It was slow work, but soon enough, it was smooth, pink skin once more.

"Thank you," Erik said quietly, gently exploring the freshly healed skin with his fingers. "I can't even tell it happened."

Ink smiled, proud yet tired. "You've still lost a lot of blood, I can't replicate that. But you shouldn't have problems with it. Hopefully."

"What's going on in there?" We heard Logan's growl from outside, just before he shoved his way into the truck bed. He stopped short at the sight of the blood, or possibly the scent of it, as his nostrils flared slightly. "Who got shot?"

I didn't know why he looked me over, as if expecting me to be the one injured. "I did," Erik replied, sitting up to inspect what was left of his shirt.

"He got hit pushing Bianca out of the way," Lotta so helpfully supplied.

"You didn't get hurt?" Logan asked me, still looking far too apprehensive for no reason.

And then it connected, like a puzzle piece turned just the right way. "That was how I died, wasn't it? In the other past?"

Several queries sounded throughout the truck, but I only focused on Logan. He wrestled with himself for a moment, before conceding with a single nod. "Mags wasn't here, didn't push you out of the way. And Charles, Lotta, and Hank were the only survivors, besides Mystique."

I gaped at him. Out of the fifty or so people in our group, originally only four of them had survived. But because Erik had come with, pushing me out of the way, I managed to save them all. Erik had saved us all.

 **AN: And here's the next chapter! We got some action, and some saving, and some knowing of the future. And some feels for Bianca :) Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to brigid1318 for her lovely review. They always make my day!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Erik had changed the future so drastically, or that he'd been willing to get shot to save my life. So, I did what I do best, shoved all those confused feelings down and focused on something else. It took me literally shaking the thoughts away to focus, but I made it. "What are we going to do with everyone, Charles?" I asked my friend, watching Ink move over to Sean and Alex.

"I don't know," he told me mentally. His worried uncertainty was unusual, but I understood. We'd never planned on this, hadn't realized there were so many people needing to be saved at the facility. "I'm not even sure if the villagers would be safe if they went home."

"And how are we going to get all the soldiers home? We can't have them just show up at home and get accused of desertion later," I added, somewhat bitterly. It felt a bit like the weight of the world was on us, and, if Logan was right, it actually was.

"Uh, Miss Serena?" Thomkins shyly asked, jerking my attention from Charles and my boys. "The villagers are asking what they should do."

I wanted to sigh, but Lotta and the boys were all watching me, waiting for me to figure out exactly what the plan was. There was no way I was letting them down again, so I flashed a quick smile, one that was completely false. "I'm working on that with Charles. I'll let you know when we've figured something out."

"Sounds good," he was quick to reply, but hesitant to add, "but I think Tien would like to talk with you."

Tien turned out to be the tiny elderly woman from the cells. With Thompkins's help, she explained to Charles and me that there was a cave nearby that was a sort of refuge, one that couldn't be found, unless one already knew where it was. I was a bit skeptical about that bit, but who was I to argue? I was the one who could use music to influence people. Tien also refused any help from us to get them there, not that I blamed her. After all, white men had been the ones to harm them all, in the first place. So, Hank took a quick look over all the villagers, Ink healed what he could, and Lotta dragged me into helping her fashion some carriers for the children. "They'll probably need to use their hands in the jungle," she said, turning to Logan with a blanket, indicating where she wanted him to tear it with his claws. "And this way, they'll be able to move more quickly. Who knows how much longer it'll take Stryker to start looking for us?"

Again, I noticed Logan slightly twitch at the name, almost as if he was repressing a different reaction. I filed it away to ask him later about it, once we were back on the plane.

"We've solved one problem," I said, after the last villager disappeared through the trees. "But we still don't know how to get everyone home without being accused of desertion."

"We go back to the base, Charles works his magic on everyone, Raven can help by looking like a general, and then we all load into the plane and go home," Alex said, still holding Sean's hand while Ink worked on healing what he could for both of them.

He focused on watching Ink work, until he noticed the silence of those of us around him. We all stared at him, in varying shades of awe. "I'm not just a pretty face, ya know," he laughed shortly.

"Right now, you're not even that," Sean rasped, grinning at him.

"Look who's talking," Hank butted in, with a cheesily happy smile on his face.

A tiny happy feeling flickered in my chest at the sight of my three boys, safe and laughing, if not wholly healthy. I had Lotta next to me, and Charles and Moira not too far off. The little boys were safe at home, as we knew because David and Charles could always communicate, no matter the distance. The rest of my family were dealing with the problem back at home in Atlantic City. I had everything I needed. The warmth at my back reminded me of something I didn't need, but desperately wanted. Sometimes. Probably.

…

Everything at the base worked even more smoothly than Alex had said. No one seemed to recognize us as the people who'd come in for the USO tour that morning, especially after the real performers had arrived. Raven shifted into a high-ranking officer, ordered some poor private to get the proper paperwork to get these men home, and Charles offered up our plane to get them all there. We were all aboard less than an hour after driving back to the base.

Mortimer turned out to be a pilot, able to help Hank in getting us in the air. "We'll need to spend another night in Hawaii," I told Charles, while making sure Alex and Sean, and the others we'd liberated, were comfortable.

"I've already made arrangements," he replied wearily. "I simply rented the whole house for two weeks, not knowing how long it would take to find Alex."

Raven snorted. "It helps to be rich, I suppose."

Charles looked a bit wounded at her retort, but I tuned them out. I didn't need to get in the middle of a sibling quarrel. I checked each of my kids, making sure that they were all comfortable and taken care of, and smiled when I saw Lotta with Sean and Alex. Sean was stretched out over two seats, already asleep, despite us being in the air for less than half an hour. And Alex was nearly there, as well, with his head pillowed on Lotta's shoulder, hers on top of his. Though their tightly entwined hands resting on his thigh surprised me a bit.

"When did that happen?" Erik's quiet words didn't surprise me, since that heat he always brought with him alerted me to his presence quite readily.

"I don't know," I confessed softly. "Though I'm pretty sure that's the reason Lotta insisted on coming with us."

"He could do a lot worse than a fiery, beautiful Italian woman."

His words seared through me, a combination of delicious heat and remembered pain coursing through me. I laughed softly, not willing to deal with him, not in front of so many people, most of whom were strangers. "She is a rather good choice, isn't she?" I quipped, then headed to a seat in the back of the plane.

But a hand around my arm caught me off guard just as I was about to sit next to Logan and propelled me further back. I glared at Erik, but his eyes begged me to go with him. Rolling my eyes, I complied, letting him lead me to the space normally meant for any stewardesses. "What?" I asked him, just as soon as we were alone. "What do you want, Erik?"

"You know what I want, Bianca," he said, crowding close to me, sparking more heat, though some of it was anger. "I want you. I've always wanted you."

"Leaving was a funny way of showing it," I spat back. I stepped back, only to find the wall behind me.

"You could have come with me! I wanted you to come with me," he pleaded with me to understand, moving so close, too close, to me.

Laughing bitterly, I retorted, "You know I couldn't. The boys needed someone, and who was that going to be? Charles was a mess, recovering from…" But even in my anger, I couldn't dig like I wanted, keeping the words that would have further wounded to myself. And even if I didn't want to admit it, I was tired of being angry. "Moira was busy helping Charles. So, who was going to look out for the three very lost boys?"

"I'm sorry, Bianca." The words were barely audible, and I felt them more than heard, with Erik's chest against mine with every breath either of us took. "I'm sorry. I regretted it the second you left that beach, but I kept telling myself you didn't need me, that I would only ruin you. I ruin everything in my life, so obviously I would ruin you. But I'm selfish, Bianca, I want you anyway. I love you."

Erik moved so slowly a glacier could have outstripped him, but he did it to give me time to stop him, if I wanted to. But I didn't. Instead, I stretched up to meet him, funneling all the hurt and want and anger and desperation I had swirling inside me into that kiss.

The moment our lips touched, the fire inside roared into an inferno. Erik's hands roamed, from my hair to my arms to my hips, and his touch left little licks of delicious fire, reminding me just what I'd been missing for five years.

Just as I thought my lungs might burst for want of air, he pulled back, just enough to look me in the eye. "I'm sorry, schatzi. I never should have left."

"You're right," I agreed, kissing him again. "And this doesn't mean I forgive you."

Erik's answering smirk nearly melted my knees. It was a good thing he still had his arms wrapped around me. "I'm alright with that, as long as I can keep kissing you."

"I would be very cross if you didn't."

 **AN: I wasn't going to have them sort of reconcile just yet, but Bianca is a very headstrong person and will have her way, no matter what I say. And we got a little bit of the real reason why Lotta came along! I hadn't planned that at all, but a few chapters back, she let me know quite forcefully that she's in love with Alex, and I can't say I blame her. I'm still a little bit in love with him, too. Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to brigid1318 for always faithfully reviewing. They make my day!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

After hours of flying, Hank wearily landed us at the same airstrip we'd used on the way to Vietnam only the day before. Charles hustled us to the house he'd rented, though there were a few more people than he'd expected. We got food for everyone, then settled the injured down for the night. "I think we should stay here tomorrow," Charles suggested, "to give everyone a chance to heal a bit more, and for Hank to recover from so much flying in such a short time."

The man in question shook his head. "I'm fine, Charles. I can-"

"He's right, Hank." I cut his protest off with a knowing grin. After all, nobody knew better than I did how much he would push to prove himself useful to others. "And besides, the boys need more sleep, on solid ground. One more day won't hurt anything."

He smiled, a little sheepishly. "Alright, Mom. I'll go check on Alex and Sean," he said, giving me a quick squeeze before heading back inside.

"And send Lotta out, would you? Nonno would kill me if she spent the night in there with Alex, even if he is too exhausted to do anything," I called after him.

Hank simply waved in acknowledgement, never pausing in his journey back to the house. I caught Raven watching him, rather wistfully, and had to hide a viciously triumphant smile. That's right, Raven, I thought with glee. He's moved on, and you missed out on the best thing that could have ever happened to you.

Charles, of course, sent a censuring look my way, but I ignored it. I had gotten quite good at that over the years. Moira simply smirked, knowing both of us far too well. "I know Lotta's not going to listen to Hank, so I'll say goodnight. Especially if we're spending tomorrow here. I'm planning on enjoying this lovely beach we've got all to ourselves tomorrow, so I need sleep tonight," I told the others, heading inside, as well.

Inside, I checked on Sean and Alex, chuckling to myself when I saw Lotta curled up next to Alex, completely asleep. I left her there, since she was already asleep, and it's not like she was going to rat herself out to Nonno. And it meant that I got to sleep in my own bed, since originally, we'd meant to share one between the two of us. No, if she wanted to squeeze herself onto Alex's tiny twin bed and leave the queen for me, I was more than happy to oblige her.

I was just unbuttoning my blouse when the knock I'd been expecting sounded at the door. Erik was on the other side, I knew it, and I hesitated to open it, for just a moment. But, just as I was tired of being angry, I was also tired of hurting, tired of being alone, so I opened the door, letting him in without a word.

His heated look when he realized my state of dress raised my internal temperature, as well. But he shook himself after a long moment and then pointedly looked at my face only. Which simultaneously raised my respect for him and disappointed me. "We need to talk, schatzi."

"Alright, so talk," I said, folding my arms over my chest. I may have been permitting this conversation, and mostly wanting to be over the hurt, but I was also stubborn. And I really wanted to see him sweat. And I'd never been good at talking about my own emotions, anyway.

Erik sighed, shaking his head at me. "I want to make this work between us, Bianca. I want to make us work. I don't want to just kiss you at one moment and then turn around to find you're still angry with me the next. I know I made a mistake leaving you, leaving all of you, but will you at least give me a chance to make it up to you? Allow me to show you how I've changed."

But I didn't know if I could do that. I'd already given him my heart once, and he'd completely crushed it. Could I survive if he did it again?

"Meine Liebe," he said, cupping my face in his hands and making my heart melt as he did so, "I love you. I want to be with you. What do I have to do? Tell me what you need me to do to trust me, trust that I'm not going to leave you again."

I had no idea. I didn't know if that was even possible. There was no answer I could give him, and the longer I stood there, trying to come up with something, the more it was hurting him. I could see that, and I was tired of hurting him, of punishing him. So there was really only one thing to do. I stepped forward, pressing myself into his arms. I kissed him, pouring every emotion I couldn't label into it, trying to express just what I was feeling without words.

Erik's response was instantaneous. His arms banded around me, pulling me closer as he kissed me in return. We clung to each other, pressing as if we couldn't possibly get close enough. His touch was electrifying, calling my power to every inch he touched as he caressed my skin with his hands and lips. I dug my hands into his hair, knowing he loved it just as much as I did.

But after several long moments of kissing, he pulled back. "Do you remember that night? Before Cuba?" I nodded wordlessly, not sure where he was going. "That was the best night of my life, and all I did was hold you. Could I- Could we repeat that night?"

I stretched to kiss him again. "I would like that," I whispered against his lips. It was probably best, anyway, if we didn't go further than that. I was still slightly terrified that I would wake up and find Erik gone.

Erik chivalrously turned his back so I could change into sleepwear, then stripped down to his underwear to climb into bed. "What is it with men and their distaste for pajamas?" I asked, grinning at the marvelous sight in front of me.

But he instantly frowned. "What other men do you know who dislike sleeping in pajamas?"

I felt my eyebrows raise in disbelief. "You can't possibly think you're the only man in my life. Discounting any romantic relationships, I've lived with Charles, Alex, Hank, and Sean for years. Charles is the only one out of the four of them who actually owns pajamas, and only because his wife buys them for him."

Looking a bit chagrined, Erik laughed a bit ruefully. "Sorry, Schatzi. My jealousy got the better of me for a moment. I'm sorry."

"Just remember, no one likes a caveman," I told him, climbing in bed next to him. "Least of all me."

He laughed again, far more sincerely. "I'll keep it in mind."

…

I woke early the next morning, panicking when I saw Erik's face next to mine. Somehow, I managed to get out from under his arm and out of the room without waking him, shutting the door just in time to see Alex slipping out of the room he'd been sharing with Sean, Hank, and Lotta.

"Hey, B, wanna watch the sun rise with me?" he asked me with a slightly crooked grin.

"That would be great," I sighed, accepting the hug he gave me.

We made our way to the beach carefully, making sure not to wake the rest of the house. I settled on the sand, just out of reach of the water, and Alex sat next to me, grimacing slightly as he did so. But I knew better than to ask how he was doing, he'd outgrown the need to be coddled years ago, so I simply went for a bit of humor. "I'm glad I packed something other than a nightgown to sleep in."

He laughed. "Somehow, you would have still made it work. Even sweating in a Vietnamese jungle with someone else's blood on you, you still looked beautiful. I don't think it's possible for you to not look like one of the most beautiful women I've ever met."

"You flatter me," I teased, bumping my shoulder into his, even as I tried to tug my pajama shorts down a bit. After all, sand in intimate places is never comfortable.

Alex simply snorted. We watched the waves lazily roll in under an ever-lightening sky, tangerine and salmon soon coloring the puffy clouds on the horizon. "How are you dealing with Erik being back?" he asked me, knowing me all too well. And knowing me enough to keep looking at the ocean, instead of at me.

"I don't know," I replied honestly, also keeping my eyes on the water. "He says he wants to stay, make something of us, but…"

"But you don't know if you can trust him not to break your heart, even though you love him," he finished for me.

"Did you gain another power since you left for boot camp?" I joked, trying to deflect his all-too true words.

"No, I've just talked to Lotta about how she feels about you," he said simply, finally turning to look at me.

His words hit me like a bullet in the heart. I gasped, hardly able to draw breath, but Alex wasn't done. "I know Hank and Sean and I needed you, after Cuba, still do, in fact, and she understands that, most days, anyway. But what she can't understand, and me, either, for that matter, is why you didn't bring her with. She needed you, too, and you left her, for a whole other family. After her mother left her as a baby, and her father passing her off to you and your Nonno, and her step-mother ignoring her at all possible moments, she's had enough abandonment in her life, and you just never saw that. You, one of the most perceptive people I've ever met, couldn't see that she needed you. You're not just a mother to us boys, B, you've been hers, too, and you broke her heart."

I'd always known Lotta had been angry with me for leaving Atlantic City, but I'd never stopped to consider it from her side. I'd always brushed it off as teenaged angst, a silly anger at adults. "I should have seen that," I said lowly. "How did I not see that?"

"Because you were so focused on burying yourself in taking care of us to avoid even thinking about your own broken heart," he said, softly to soothe the hurt he'd caused. Needed to cause. "And she understands that. Usually, anyway. But she's had a lot of people abandon her, and it's hard for her to let you back in. But I think she desperately wants to have a real relationship with you, but she's terrified that you'll let her down again. Does that sound familiar to you?"

A wet chuckle burst its way from my throat, and I brushed tears away. "When did you get so smart, Summers?"

"I've had a lot of time on my hands," he said, wrapping an arm around me. "Lots of time to think the past couple of weeks."

"Thank you," I whispered, "for everything." I rested my head on his shoulder, and we watched the sun finish its debut for the day in silence.

 **AN: I know this is forever in the making, but I've been struggling with a lot of things the past few months, writing being the least of these. But I won't leave Bianca. She's far too much fun to write! But I do want to thank you all for sticking with me, and a big thanks to brigid1318 and Amelia Claw for your lovely reviews! They always make me smile!**


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